Multiple belt drive



y 1935- P. P. WUESTHOFF 2,006,614

MULTIPLE BELT DRIVE Filed Jan. 2, 1934 2 sheets sheet 1 2 3.1 1

July 2, 1935- P. P. WUESTHOFF MULTIPLE BELT DRIVE Filed 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 T WJZ Pu) QWXCM.

H16 flrronwnts Patented July 2, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,006,614 MULTIPLE BELT DRIVE Paul P. Wuesthoff, St. Louis, Mo. Application January 2, 1934, Serial No. 704,831

5 Claims.

My invention relates to the driving of such devices as generators from the axle of a railway car. It has for its principal object a multiple belt drive that equalizes the tension on the individual belts at all times, particularly when the car is rounding a curve, that permits application of endless belts without dropping the car truck and that is of strong, simple and compact construction, well able to withstand severe usage.

The invention consists principally in a multiple belt drive for such devices as the generators of railway cars, having idler pulleys pivotally mounted on the other side of the axle from the generator. The invention further consists in the multiple belt drive and in the parts and combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters indicate like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly diagrammatic, of a railway car showing a generator driven by a multiple belt drive embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a plan view, the car trucks and car body being indicated diagrammatically on a straight track,

Fig. 3 is a plan view similar to Fig. 2 showing a curved track,

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view on a somewhat larger scale showing in full lines the positions of the pulleys and belts on a. curve to the left and, in dotted lines, the positions on a curve to the right,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevational view of the drive pulley and the idler pulleys,

Fig. 6 is an end elevation looking in the direction of the arrows 6-6 in Fig. 5,

Fig. 7 is a sectional View along the line 'l--'| in Fig. 5, and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 88 in Fig. '7.

In the drawings is illustrated a common type of railway car I that is supported on trucks 2, each having axles 3 at whose ends are wheels 4. A generator 5 is pivotally secured to a bracket 6 that is mounted on the underside of the car body. The generator is free to swing about a horizontal axis only. Engaging said generator 5 is a. spring 1 urging it away from the axle 3a by which it is driven, for reasons pointed out hereinafter. On the projecting shaft 8 of said generator 5 is mounted a pulley 9 whose surface is provided with a multiplicity of grooves Ill. Preferably said grooves II) have tapering walls for cooperating with the well known V-belts II, that is, endless belts of truncated conical section.

Mounted on the endmost, axle 3a. of the adjacent truck so as to rotate therewith is a split pulley I2 whose surface is preferably smooth and which drives the generator pulley '9.

Idler pulleys I3 having grooves therein are provided on the other side of said axle 3a from said generator, one above aind one below the level of the axle. Said idler pulleys [3 are supported on shafts I that are secured, as by nuts l5 mounted on their threaded end portions H5, in the vertical side members I! of a frame. Said frame has a cross member l8 extending across its middle and secured to the vertical members I! as by screws l9. Said cross member l8 has an opening-2il extending longitudinally of the car and in said opening is received the end of a supporting arm 2| that is secured, as by screws 22, to a suitable member 23 of the car truck. By means of a king pin 24 extending through alined holes in said support 2| and said cross member l8, the frame is pivotally mounted to swing about a vertical axis.

It will be seen that the V-belts are disposed in the conical grooves ID of the driven pulley 9 and of the idler pulleys l3 and that their position is reversed on the plain drive pulley, so that the wide side of each belt contacts therewith. This V-belt drive is preferable, but other known types of belts might be used, such as plain square or round belts and double V-belts. The belts are tensioned by the action of the spring 1 against the generator.

The pivotal mounting of the frame that carries the idler pulleys l3, as will be seen particularly in Fig. 4, cuts in half the angularity of the belts when the car rounds a curve. When the car turns, .the generator 5 maintains its angular position, the drive pulley I2 is moved through the angle A and the idler pulleys l3 are moved through the angle B, which is about half the angle A. Thus the belts II move through two small angles instead of one large angle. Of great importance is the fact that the use of a multiplicity of narrow belts with idler pulleys enables the strain on each belt to be equalized. The mounting of the idler pulleys on the other side of the axle from the generator and the provision of removable vertical side members in the idler pulley supporting frame enables an endless belt to be removed or a new endless belt to be inserted without dropping the car truck. It is noted that some trucks have transverse end members 25 as indicated in Fig. 1. Ordinarily such end members are removably se- What I claim is:

cured to the truck; but if said end members are not removable, it is still possible to remove the belts without dropping the truck by making a slot. through the transverse member. Such slot can then be filled with a suitable plug, this operation not interfering with the proper functioning of said transverse member.

The above described construction has importaint advantages as it equalizes the tension on the belts and thuspermits the use of the large number {of endless belts required to iurnishadequate power to drive the large generators that are required in modern railway cars, particularly those having air conditioning apparatus. The drive'is simple and easy to apply, it is economical to operate and wornbelts are easily replaced without dropping the car truck. Obviously,' nu- 'merous changes may be made without departing from the invention and I do not wish toibe limited to the precise construction shown.

1; In combination, a railwaycar, a supporting pivotal truck therefor'provided with an axle at one end, a drive pulleyon said axle, a drivenpulley spaced from said axle and supported from said car body, a pair of pivotally mounted idler pulleys disposedon the other side of said axle from said driven pulley and supported from said truck and a multiplicity of drive belts passing over said driven pulley, said drive pulley and said idl r pul ey i r I a 2.- In combination, a railway car, a supporting pivotal truck therefor provided with an axle at one end, a drivepulley on said axle, a multiply grooved driven pulley spaced from said axle and supported from said car body, a pair of pivotally mounted multiply grooved idler pulleys disposed on the other side of said axle from saiddriven pulley and supported fromsaid truck and a multiplicity of drive belts passing over said driven pulley, said drive pulley and said idler pulleys. 3. In combinatioma railway car, a supporting pivotal truck therefor provided with an axle at one end,a drive pulley on said axle, a multiply grooved driven pulley spaced from said axle and supported from said car body, a pairof pivotally mounted multiply grooved idler pulleys disposed plicity of drive belts of truncated V-section passing over said driven pulley, said drive? pulley and said idler pulleys. H

4. In combination, a. railway'car, a supporting towards saidvaxle, aframe plvotally mounted on said arm to swing about a vertical axis, idler pulleys mounted in'said frame, one above and one below the; level of 1 the axle: and a 1 multiplicity of drive belts passing over said driven pulley, said drive pulley and'saididler pulleys;

. 5. In combination, ,a railway car, -afsupporting pivotal: truck therefor provided with anaxle at one end, a drive, pulley on said axle, a driven pulley spaced from said axle and supported fromsald car body, an arm on saidtruck extending toward said axle, a cross iramemember. provided withan opening to receive the end of said support, ailing on the other side of said axle from said driven, pulley and support-ed from said truck'and a multi- 

